JP2003317301A - Method for forming plane probe and plane probe - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To embody a method for forming a plane probe capable of arbitrarily adjusting the shapes (angles, heights, and openings of front ends) of a plurality of micro-openings and a plane probe which generates proximity field light of high efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: The method for forming the plane probe which has a plurality of micro-opening arrays and subjects an optical recording medium to recording and reproducing by generating the proximity field light near the micro-openings includes a process step (S11) of forming columnar parts by translucent materials on a translucent substrate, a process step (S12) of packing an embedding material which is etched by the etching solution or etching gas as the material of the columnar parts and is higher in the etching rate than the etching rate of the materials of the columnar parts to the peripheries of the columnar parts, and a process step (S13) of etching the columnar parts and the embedding material by anisotropic etching. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a CD (Compa
ct Disc) and DVD (Digital Video)
a flat probe used for recording / reproducing on / from an optical disk storage (optical recording medium) such as an optical disc, and particularly to an optical recording medium by highly efficient near-field light generated in the vicinity of a plurality of minute apertures. The present invention relates to a method for forming a flat probe capable of recording / reproducing and a flat probe.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art With the recent spread of information technology, C has been used as an information storage for recording various information media.
Optical recording media represented by D and DVD are advancing along with the progress of digital image compression technology in addition to the high density of optical recording. To increase the recording density, it is necessary to reduce the recording bit size, and the wavelength of incident light is shortened and the NA of the lens is increased. However, due to the refraction limit of light, it becomes difficult to miniaturize the recording bit for recording. Further, regarding reproduction, it becomes impossible to read the miniaturized recording bit without crosstalk (disturbance). Therefore,
As one of the solutions to the limit of recording and reproducing due to the refraction limit of light, near field light (Near Fie) is used.
An optical method using ld optics has been proposed.

The near field means that light incident from one of two media having different refractive indices under the condition of total reflection or more is reflected on the boundary surface, but only a non-propagating electric field component partially crosses the boundary surface. This means a region (leakage light) in which the non-propagating electric field component is exuded when the exuded region is formed. Also,
Such a region is also formed by an optical fiber having an opening finer than the wavelength of light to be introduced, such as an optical fiber probe of a near field microscope. The near field due to such a minute aperture has a lateral spread only about the same as the aperture size, and the intensity decreases exponentially with increasing distance from the aperture, and does not exude to the same extent or more as the aperture. . By inserting a minute scatterer into this near-field region, the near-field is scattered and converted into near-field light of propagating light. As described above, when near-field light is used, resolution exceeding the refraction limit of light can be obtained, but in general, near-field light is much weaker than propagating light, and near-field light can be effectively generated. , How to detect is being sought.

Further, a high-speed recording / reproducing method is being studied, as in high-density recording. As one of them, a plane probe having a plurality of grid-shaped openings has been proposed. By using this plane probe, the scanning speed can be (target recording / reproducing scanning speed) / (numerical aperture), so that recording / reproducing can be performed at high speed even if the scanning speed is low. . Thus, when performing high-density recording and high-speed recording / reproducing, it is effective to use the near-field light of the flat probe.

Forming (manufacturing) such a planar probe
The method is, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-208672.
It is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-182264.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-208672, SOI (Silic
onOn Insulator) The opening is formed by anisotropic etching using the silicon crystal plane of the substrate. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
In 000-182264, a circular photosensitive resin pattern is formed by using an electron beam, and a conical probe is formed by dry etching. The process of forming the conventional planar probe will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 17, reference numeral 170 is a silicon nitride film, reference numeral 171 is a glass substrate, reference numeral 172 is a photosensitive resin pattern, reference numeral 173 is a probe, reference numeral 174 is a light reflecting film, and reference numeral 175 is a tip opening. First, FIG. 17 (a)
As shown in, a silicon nitride film 170 is formed on the glass substrate 171. Then, as shown in (b) of the figure, a circular resist pattern (photosensitive resin pattern) 172 is formed on the glass substrate 171 on which the silicon nitride film 170 is formed by using a chemically amplified resist excimer stepper. .
Then, as shown in (c), the circular resist pattern 172 is used as a mask to perform conical etching by dry etching. Next, as shown in (d), the metal film (light reflecting film) 1 is left with the resist pattern 172 left.
The film 74 is formed. Finally, as shown in (e), the resist pattern 172 is removed by wet etching to form a planar probe having a tip opening 175.

[0007]

However, the conventional flat probe as described above and the manufacturing method thereof have the following problems. In the flat type probe, the variation in the aperture size becomes a big problem.
That is, the near-field light can propagate (cannot exude) only about the size of the aperture, and the intensity decreases exponentially, so that the apertures forming the planar probe greatly vary. Then, the near-field light intensity on the optical recording medium at a certain distance from that of the planar probe is significantly different, and there is a place where recording / reproducing cannot be performed.

Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-208672, as described above, variations in the film thickness of the silicon formed on the oxide film of the substrate and variations in the resist pattern during photolithography are the most important. There are many sources of variability with respect to the aperture size. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the opening, which is related to the efficiency of generating near-field light, can be formed only in a quadrangular pyramid shape, which is the crystal orientation. Furthermore, in JP-A-2000-182264, since the shape of the probe depends on the dry etching ability,
It was difficult to adjust the angle, and it was not possible to manufacture a probe having an arbitrary shape.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and realizes a method for forming a flat probe in which the shapes (angles, heights, openings at the tips) of a plurality of minute openings can be arbitrarily adjusted. An object of the present invention is to obtain a planar probe that can generate highly efficient near-field light.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, in a method for forming a flat probe according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plurality of minute aperture rows, and the minute aperture rows are provided in the vicinity of the minute apertures. In a method of forming a flat probe for generating a field light to form a flat probe for recording / reproducing on / from an optical recording medium, a first step of forming a pillar on a substrate, and a step of forming the pillar A second step of filling a surrounding material with an embedding material that is etched with the same etching solution or etching gas as the material of the pillar portion and has a faster etching rate than the material of the pillar portion; and the pillar portion and the embedding material. Third, where isotropic etching is performed with and
And the steps of.

According to the present invention, the pillar portion is formed on the substrate, and then the periphery of the pillar portion is etched with the same etching solution or etching gas as the material of the pillar portion, and the etching rate is higher than that of the pillar material. Is filled with an embedding material having a fast characteristic, and by further etching the pillar portion and the embedding material by isotropic etching, as the etching of the pillar portion and the embedding material progresses, the tip portion of the pillar portion is On the other hand, desired etching can be performed in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. This allows the size and angle of the bottom surface of the probe to be adjusted arbitrarily.

Further, in the method for forming the flat probe according to the second aspect, the pillar portion is formed in a cylindrical shape.

According to the present invention, in the first aspect, the column portion is formed into a cylindrical shape, so that the size of the bottom surface and the angle can be adjusted and the size of the probe tip can be arbitrarily adjusted. The possible conical or frustoconical probes can be formed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for forming a flat probe, wherein the substrate is made of quartz or optical glass.

According to this invention, by using the substrate of quartz or optical glass in claim 1 or 2, it is possible to form a probe having excellent refractive index and transmittance.

Further, in the method of forming a flat probe according to claim 4, the substrate and the pillar portion are made of the same material.

According to the present invention, claim 1, 2 or 3
In the above, if the substrate and the pillar are made of the same material, the material can be easily obtained when forming the probe.

According to a fifth aspect of the method for forming a flat probe, the substrate has a composite structure of a probe material and a support material.

According to the present invention, in any one of claims 1 to 4, the substrate having a composite structure of the probe material and the supporting material cannot be molded on the substrate as the probe material, or the molding is difficult. It is possible to use such a material, or a material that has a low transmittance and needs to be made thin.

Further, in the method of forming a flat probe according to claim 6, the embedding material is a photoresist.

According to the present invention, in any one of claims 1 to 5, since photoresist can be applied to the material of the embedding material, the material can be easily obtained. Various dry etchings can be selectively used.

Further, in the method of forming a flat probe according to claim 7, the embedding material is a liquid and is a material which becomes glass by firing.

According to the present invention, in any one of claims 1 to 5, the embedding material is a liquid and is a material which becomes glass by firing.
It can be used with an etching solution based on hydrofluoric acid, and the tip angle of the probe can be arbitrarily controlled by changing the baking temperature.

Further, in the method for forming a flat probe according to claim 8, the embedding material has a refractive index lower than that of the column portion.

According to the present invention, in claim 7, as the embedding material, a material having a lower refractive index than that of the pillar portion is selected, so that the probe in which the embedding material remains can be a completed product. .

Further, in the method of forming a flat probe according to claim 9, the embedding material is colored.

According to the present invention, in claim 6 or 7, by coloring the embedding material, it is possible to easily visually determine the end point of etching performed by isotropic etching.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the method of forming a flat probe, the pillar portion is formed with a pillar-shaped resist pattern of the pillar portion on the substrate, and the pillar-shaped resist pattern is used as a mask for anisotropic formation. It is characterized in that it is formed by performing a reactive etching.

According to the present invention, in any one of claims 1 to 9, the columnar structure formed on the substrate can be easily obtained by performing the anisotropic etching using the columnar resist pattern as a mask. .

In the method for forming a flat probe according to an eleventh aspect, the pillar portion forms a pillar-shaped resist pattern of the pillar portion on the substrate, and the pillar-shaped resist pattern is used as a sacrificial layer mask. It is characterized in that it is formed by embedding as described above and removing the sacrificial layer.

According to the present invention, in any one of claims 1 to 9, the columnar structure and the support formed on the substrate by filling the columnar resist pattern as a mask of the sacrificial layer and removing the sacrificial layer. A composite structure of members can be easily obtained.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the method of forming a flat probe, a material which is not etched is provided at the tip of the pillar portion, and the material is removed after the probe is formed. It is a thing.

According to the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, a material which is not etched is provided at the tip of the pillar portion, and the material is removed after the probe is formed, so that the tip can be more advanced. A sharp probe can be obtained, and the control range of the probe shape can be widened.

In the flat probe according to the thirteenth aspect, a flat probe having a plurality of minute aperture rows and for generating near-field light in the vicinity of the minute apertures is provided.
It is formed according to the method for forming a flat probe according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

According to the present invention, by forming the flat probe according to the method for forming a flat probe according to any one of claims 1 to 12, a probe having an arbitrary shape can be formed.

The flat probe according to claim 14 is characterized in that an oblique light film or a light reflection film is formed on at least the slope of the probe.

According to this invention, in claim 13,
By forming the oblique light film or the light reflection film on at least the slope of the probe, it becomes possible to enhance the light utilization efficiency which is important in determining the laser output at the time of recording / reproducing.

[0038]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of a method for forming a flat probe and a flat probe according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition,
The present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

Here, a feature of the present invention is to provide a method for forming a flat probe in which an angle, a height, and an opening at a tip are formed in an arbitrary shape, and a flat probe capable of generating a highly efficient near field. Is to manufacture. Hereinafter, a method for forming the flat probe will be specifically described.

First, a series of manufacturing (forming) steps of a method for forming a flat probe according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 1 and the drawings. That is, in the present invention, the pillar portion forming step (first step) of forming the pillar portion on the substrate is performed (step S11). FIG. 2 shows the pillar portion 101 formed on the substrate 100. Here, as a method of forming the pillar portion on the substrate, the substrate 1
00 itself can be machined to use a known technique such as forming a pillar on the substrate.

In addition to the above-mentioned method of mechanical processing, (1) a method of forming a pillar-shaped resist pattern on a substrate and performing anisotropic etching using this resist pattern as a mask, or (2) a method of performing etching on the substrate A sacrificial layer is formed, a through hole is formed in the sacrificial layer by a normal photoengraving-etching process, and a columnar material is CVD (chemical) in the through hole.
l vapor deposition (chemical vapor deposition method), a method of burying by a method such as sputtering, and a method of removing a sacrificial layer can be adopted.

Next, the pillar portion 1 formed on the substrate 100
The embedding material 102 is used for the peripheral portion of 01, and the embedding step (second step) of filling the embedding material 102 is performed (step S12). Here, by using a substrate made of a translucent material that transmits light having a predetermined wavelength as the substrate 100, a probe using near-field light can be formed. 3A and 3B show a state in which the periphery of the column portion 101 is filled with the embedding material 102. As shown in FIG. 3A, the embedding height of the embedding material 102 may be the same as the upper surface of the pillar portion 101, or FIG.
As shown in (b), the entire pillar portion 101 may be surrounded.

Here, as the condition of the embedding material 102 to be used, it is possible to perform etching with the same etching liquid or etching gas as the columnar portion, and the etching rate (etching speed) is faster than that of the columnar portion 101. Select a material that has characteristics. Concrete embedding material 1
As the material of 02, a photoresist such as a photosensitive resin is suitable. In addition to this photoresist, it is also possible to use a material that is liquid and becomes glass by baking. These materials can be formed by a method such as dipping or spin coating. Further, as the material of the embedding material 102, it is possible to use a metal formed by plating, various materials formed by a method such as CVD or sputtering. For example, there is a method of using quartz or optical glass for the substrate and using OCD manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd. for the embedding material. Since the OCD can change the etching rate for hydrofluoric acid depending on the baking temperature, the tip angle of the probe can be arbitrarily controlled by changing the baking temperature.

Next, the pillar portion 101, which is filled with the embedding material 102 around it, is subjected to an etching treatment by an isotropic etching step (third step) (step S13). FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram in the middle of etching by the isotropic etching process, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view (tip portion) of the portion A of FIG. That is, as described above, in the present invention, the material used for the embedding material 102 has a higher etching rate than the material used for the pillar portion 101. Therefore, in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, as the etching of the embedding material 102 progresses, the embedding material 102 with a high etching rate disappears and the pillar portion 101 with a slow etching rate remains. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the pillar portion 101 undergoes etching from the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, so that the embedding material 10 is finally obtained.
As 2 disappears by etching, the tip of the probe has a conical structure.

Here, the angle of the conical structure is the embedding material 1
It is determined based on the ratio between the etching rate of 02 and the etching rate of the pillar portion 101. That is, the larger the value of “the etching rate of the embedding material / the etching rate of the pillar portion”, the more the pyramidal structure with a sharp tip can be obtained.

If necessary, the embedding material 102 remaining around the pillar portion 101 may be removed. Depending on the type of the embedding material 102, the embedding material 102 may be left as it is to remove the flat type probe. It may be a finished product.

(Formation Example 1) The drawings shown below show respective formation examples to which the above-described method for forming a planar probe is applied. That is, FIG. 6 shows a state in which the pyramidal probe 105 having a pyramidal structure is formed on the substrate 100. In addition, FIG.
6 shows a state in which the pyramidal probe 107, which is a prism, is formed. In addition, FIG.
It is shown that 06 is a prism, and the pyramidal probe 108 in which the embedding material 102 (same as the height of the root portion 106) is left around the root portion 106 is formed.

As described above, when the probe is formed in this embodiment, the base thickness of the probe can be controlled by the size of the pillar portion 101 formed in advance, and the etching rate of the embedding material 102 and the etching of the pillar portion 101 can be controlled. The tip angle of the probe can be effectively controlled by arbitrarily selecting the ratio with the rate.

Further, FIGS. 9 to 11 are the same as FIGS. 6 to 8.
The truncated pyramidal probes 110 to 112 of the truncated pyramid in which the tips of the probes formed in 1 are flat are shown. In this way, when the tip portion of the probe is made flat, this tip flat surface becomes the flat surface of the substrate, and a smooth surface can be obtained. Further, when a plurality of probe arrays are formed, the heights of the probes can be made the same. further,
When a protective wall for protection is provided around the probe, the tip of the probe and the upper surface of the protective wall can be at the same height.

Here, the probe shown as an example of formation of FIGS. 6 to 11 is S in the method of forming a flat probe of the present invention.
In FIG. 11, the column portion 101 formed on the substrate 100 is formed in a prismatic shape, and in this case, the probe can be formed in a pyramid shape or a truncated pyramid shape. In addition, the pillar portion 101
By previously processing into a cylindrical shape, the probe to be formed can be formed into a conical shape or a truncated cone shape. In addition,
The number of each rectangular shape of the root portion 106 is not particularly limited.

(Formation Example 2) Further, the structure of the substrate 100 is as follows.
It may have a composite structure of the probe material and the support material. In FIG. 12, a thin film probe material 121 (for example, a polished Si wafer) is formed on a supporting substrate 120, and a truncated cone probe 122 is formed on the thin film probe material 121. In FIG. 13, the truncated cone probe 123 is independently formed on the support substrate 120. Figure 1
4, a part of the root part 106 of the probe is the support substrate 120.
The truncated cone probe 124 containing the above material is formed.

A method for forming the above-mentioned planar probe (see FIG. 1)
2 to 14) makes it possible to use, as the probe material, a material that cannot be molded on the substrate or is difficult to mold, or a material that needs to be thinned because of its low transmittance. Thereby, the refractive index, the transmittance, and the selectivity of the used wavelength of the probe can be improved. Specifically, quartz or optical glass is used as the supporting material, and sputtering or CVD is used as the probe material.
It is possible to use the diamond film, the Si ₃ N ₄ film, the Si film, or the anodic-bonded Si single crystal formed in the above.

Further, as a probe material, single crystal S
i, SiO ₂ , Ge, glass, crystalline quartz, C (diamond), amorphous Si, microcrystal (microcrystal) Si, polycrystalline Si, SixNy (x and y are arbitrary),
TiO ₂ , ZnO, TeO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ , Y ₂ O ₃ , La ₂
O ₂ S, LiGaO ₂ , BaTiO ₃ , SrTiO ₃ , Pb
TiO ₃ , KNNO ₃ , K (Ta, Nb) O ₃ (KT
N), LiTaO ₃ , LitTaO ₃ , Pb (Mg _1/3 N
b _2/3 ) O ₃ , (Pb, La) (Zr, Ti) O ₂ , (P
b, La) (Hf, Ti) O ₃ , PbGeO ₃ , Li ₂ G
eO ₃ , MgAl ₂ O ₄ , CoFe ₂ O ₄ , (Sr, Ba)
Nb ₂ O ₆ , La ₂ Ti ₂ O ₇ , Nd ₂ Ti ₂ O ₇ , Ba ₂ Ti
Si ₁₂ O ₈ , Pb ₅ Ge ₃ O ₁₁ , Bi ₄ Ge ₃ O ₁₂ , Bi ₄ S
i ₃ O ₁₂ , Y ₃ Al ₅ O ₁₂ , Gd ₃ Fe ₅ O ₁₂ , (Gd, B
_{i) 3 Fe 5 O 12,} Ba 2 NaNbO 15, Bi 1 2 GeO
₂ O, Bi ₁₂ SiO ₂ , Ga ₁₂ Al ₁₄ O ₃₃ , LiF, Na
F, KF, RbF, CsF, NaCl, KCl, RbC
l, CsCl, AgCl, TlCl, CuCl, LiB
r, NaBr, KBr, CsBr, AgBr, TlB
r, LiI, NaI, KI, CsI, Tl (Br,
I), TI (Cl, Br), MgF ₂ , CaF ₂ , SrF
₂ , CaF ₂ , PbF ₂ , Hg ₂ CI ₂ , FeF ₃ , CsPb
Cl ₃ , BaMgF ₄ , BaZnF ₄ , Na ₂ SbF ₅ , L
iClO ₄ .3H ₂ O, CdHg (SCN) ₄ , ZnS,
ZnSe, ZnTe, CdS, CdSe, CdTe, α
-HgS, PbS, PbSe, EuS, EuSe, Ga
Se, LiInS ₂ , AgGaS ₂ , AgGaS ₂ , Ag
GaSe ₂ , TiInS ₂ , TiInSe ₂ , TlGaS
e ₂ , TlGaS ₂ , As ₂ S ₃ , As ₂ Se ₃ , Ag ₃ As
S ₃ , Ag ₃ SbS ₃ , CdGaS ₄ , CdCr ₂ S ₄ , Tl
Ta ₃ S ₄ , Tl ₃ TaSe ₄ , Tl ₃ VS ₄ , Tl ₃ As
S ₄ , Tl ₃ PSe ₄ , GaP, GaAs, GaN, (G
a, Al) As, Ga (As, P), (InGa) P,
(InGa) As, (Ga, Al) Sb, Ga (AsS)
b), (InGa) (AsP), (GaAI) (AsS
b), ZnGeP ₂ , CaCO ₃ , NaNo ₃ , α-HI
O ₃ , α-LiO ₃ , KIO ₂ F ₂ , FeBO ₃ , FeB
O ₃ , Fe ₃ BO ₆ , KB ₅ O ₈・ 4H ₂ O, BeSO ₄・ 2
_{H 2 O, CuSO 4 · 5H} 2 O, Li 2 SO 4 · H 2 O, KH
₂ PO ₄ , KD ₂ PO ₄ , NH ₄ H ₂ PO ₄ , KH ₂ AsO ₄ ,
KD ₂ AsO ₄ , CSH ₂ AsO ₄ , CsD ₂ AsO ₄ , KT
iOPO ₄ , RbTiOPO ₄ , (K, Rb) TiOPO
₄ , PbMoO ₄ , β-Gd ₄ (MoO ₄ ) ₃ , β-Tb
₂ (MoO ₄ ) ₃ , Pb ₂ MoO ₅ , Bi ₂ WO ₆ , K ₂ MoO
S ₃ · KCL, YVO ₄ Ca ₃ (VO ₄ ) ₂ , Pb ₅ (GeO
₄ ) (VO ₄ ) ₂ , CO (NH2) ₂ , Li (COOH).
H ₂ O, Sr (COOH) ₂ , (NH ₄ CH ₂ COOH) ₃
H ₂ SO ₄ , (ND ₄ CD ₂ COOD) ₃ D ₂ SO ₄ , (NH ₄
CH ₂ COOH) ₃ H ₂ BeF, (NH ₄ ) ₂ C ₂ O ₄ · H
₂ O, C ₄ H ₃ N ₃ O ₄ , C ₆ H ₉ NO ₃ , C ₆ H ₄ (NO ₂ ),
C ₆ H ₄ NO ₂ Br, C ₆ H ₄ NO ₂ CI, C ₆ H ₄ NO ₂ N
H ₂ , C ₆ H ₄ (NH ₄ ) OH, C ₆ H ₄ (CO ₂ ) ₂ HCs,
_{C 6 H 4 (CO 2)} 2 HRb, C 6 H 3 NO 2 CH 3 NH 2, C 6
_{H 3 CH 3 (NH 2)} 2, C 6 H 12 O 5 · H 2 OKH (C 8 H 4
_{O 4), C1OH11N 3 O 6} , it can also be used _{[CH 2 · CF 2] n} .

(Formation Example 3) Further, FIG. 15 shows a pillar portion 101.
7 shows an example of forming a probe in which the tip of the probe is protected by a non-etchable material 150. That is, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, a material 150 having a characteristic that etching is not performed even by etching the pillar portion 101 and the embedding material 102 is formed on the tip portion of the pillar portion 101,
This material 150 is removed after the probe is completed. In this case, unlike the method shown in FIG. 4 described above, since the material 150 blocks the etching of the column portion 101 in the vertical direction, only the horizontal etching is performed. As a result, when etching is performed with the same (etching rate of embedding material / etching rate of pillar portion) ratio, a pyramidal structure having a more pointed tip is formed as compared with the probe shown in FIG. be able to.

(Formation Example 4) Here, the surface of the planar probe formed by the above-described formation example is sputtered (s)
After forming an Al film of 2000 Å by the patterning, the Al film at the tip of the protrusion is FIB (Focused).
Ion Beam: focused molecular beam), and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, a light shielding film 162 is formed around the tip opening 161.
3 shows a state in which the planar probe 160 coated with is formed. As the FIB, an ultrafine ion beam with a beam diameter of 0.1 μm or smaller can be adopted. According to this probe, lens 1
A plurality of minute apertures 161 are formed by the light incident through 63.
Near-field light can be generated near the
A recording pattern can be written on a recording medium such as D.

Therefore, according to the formation example 4, recording and
It is possible to obtain a planar probe having improved light utilization efficiency, which is important in determining the laser output during reproduction. In addition,
In this formation example 4, an example using Al has been described.
It is also possible to use a metal such as Au, Ag, Cu, Ti, W or a laminated film thereof.

[0057]

As described above, according to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (claim 1), a plurality of minute aperture rows are provided and near-field light is generated in the vicinity of the minute apertures. In the method for forming a flat probe for forming a flat probe for recording / reproducing on / from an optical recording medium, a pillar portion is formed on a substrate, and then a material for the pillar portion is formed around the pillar portion. It is etched with the same etching liquid or etching gas, and is filled with an embedding material having a faster etching rate than the material of the pillar portion, and further the pillar portion and the filling material are etched by isotropic etching, With the progress of the etching of the embedding material, desired etching can be performed in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the tip portion of the pillar portion. This allows
The size and angle of the bottom surface of the probe can be adjusted arbitrarily.

Further, according to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (claim 2), in the structure according to claim 1, the pillar portion is formed in a cylindrical shape, whereby the size and angle of the bottom surface are adjusted. In addition, it is possible to form a conical probe and a truncated cone probe in which the size of the probe tip can be arbitrarily adjusted.

According to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (claim 3), the substrate of quartz or optical glass is used in claim 1 or 2,
It is possible to form a probe having excellent refractive index and transmittance.

According to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (claim 4), the substrate and the pillar are made of the same material in claim 1, 2 or 3, and The effect is that the material can be easily obtained when forming the.

According to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (Claim 5), the substrate according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 has a composite structure of a probe material and a supporting material. As a result, it becomes possible to use, as the probe material, a material that cannot be molded on the substrate or is difficult to mold, or a material that has a low transmittance and needs to be made thin, and the refractive index, transmittance, and wavelength used. The selectivity (degree of freedom) can be improved.

Further, according to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (claim 6), in any one of claims 1 to 5, a photoresist is applied to the material of the embedding material. Therefore, it is possible to easily obtain the material, and it is possible to selectively use various kinds of dry etching, and it is possible to improve the degree of freedom.

According to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (claim 7), the embedding material is in a liquid state and is baked in the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Because it is a material that becomes glass,
The etching solution based on hydrofluoric acid can be used, and there is an effect that the tip angle of the probe can be arbitrarily controlled by changing the baking temperature.

Further, according to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (claim 8), in any one of claims 1 to 5, the embedding material is a material having a refractive index lower than that of the pillar portion. Since the probe is selected, there is an effect that a probe with the embedded material remaining can be a finished product.

Further, according to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (claim 9), the end point of etching in which etching is carried out by isotropic etching by coloring the embedding material according to claim 6 or 7. There is an effect that it is possible to easily judge visually.

Further, according to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (claim 10), anisotropic etching is performed using the columnar resist pattern as a mask according to any one of claims 1 to 9. Thus, the composite structure of the columnar structure formed on the substrate and the supporting member can be easily obtained.

Further, according to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (claim 11), in any one of claims 1 to 9, the columnar resist pattern is embedded as a mask of the sacrificial layer to form a sacrificial layer. By performing the removal, the columnar structure formed on the substrate can be easily obtained.

Further, according to the method for forming a flat probe according to the present invention (claim 12), in any one of claims 1 to 6, a material which is not etched is provided at the tip of the pillar portion. By removing the material after forming the probe, it is possible to obtain a probe with a more pointed tip, and it is possible to widen the control range of the probe shape.

According to the flat type probe (claim 13) of the present invention, the flat type probe can be replaced by any one of claims 1 to 1.
By forming the probe according to the method of forming a flat probe described in any one of 2 above, a probe having an arbitrary shape can be formed. It is possible to obtain a highly efficient flat-type probe whose near-field light size is adjusted.

Further, according to the flat type probe (claim 14) of the present invention, in claim 13, since the oblique light film or the light reflection film is formed on at least the slope of the probe, the laser output at the time of recording / reproducing is The effect is that it is possible to increase the light utilization efficiency, which is important in making a decision.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a series of manufacturing steps in a method for forming a flattening probe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a pillar portion formed on the substrate according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a filling method of the embedding material according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a pillar portion during etching according to the embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of a portion A of FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a pyramid-shaped probe corresponding to the first formation example in the embodiment of the present invention (first example).

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a pyramid-shaped probe corresponding to the formation example 1 in the embodiment of the invention (second example).

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a pyramid-shaped probe corresponding to the formation example 1 of the embodiment of the invention (third example).

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a truncated pyramid-shaped probe corresponding to the first formation example in the embodiment of the present invention (first example).

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a truncated pyramidal probe corresponding to the first example of the formation in the embodiment of the present invention (second example).

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a truncated pyramid-shaped probe corresponding to the first formation example in the embodiment of the present invention (third example).

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a formation state of a probe corresponding to a formation example 2 in the embodiment of the present invention (first
Example).

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a formation state of the probe corresponding to the formation example 2 in the embodiment of the present invention (second)
Example).

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a formation state of a probe corresponding to the formation example 2 in the embodiment of the present invention (third embodiment).
Example).

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a formation state of a probe corresponding to the formation example 3 in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the probe after the formation of the light shielding film corresponding to the formation example 4 in the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a manufacturing process of a conventional flat probe.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 substrates 101 Pillar 102 Embedded material 105, 107, 108 pyramidal probe 110, 111, 112 truncated pyramid probe 122, 123, 124 truncated cone probe 120 support substrate 150 materials 160 Flat type probe 161, 175 tip opening 163 lens 170 Silicon nitride film 171 glass substrate 174 Light reflection film

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 5D119 AA11 AA22 AA38 AA43 BA01                       BB01 BB02 BB03 DA01 DA05                       EB02 JA34 JA64 NA05                 5D789 AA11 AA22 AA38 AA43 BA01                       BB01 BB02 BB03 DA01 DA05                       EB02 JA34 JA64 NA05

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. Forming a planar probe having a plurality of minute aperture rows and forming a near-field light near the minute apertures to form a planar probe for recording / reproducing on / from an optical recording medium. In the method, a first step of forming a pillar portion on a translucent substrate, etching around the pillar portion with the same etching liquid or etching gas as the material of the pillar portion, and etching from the pillar material A planar probe comprising: a second step of filling an embedding material having a fast rate characteristic; and a third step of etching the pillar portion and the embedding material by isotropic etching. Forming method. 2. The method for forming a flat probe according to claim 1, wherein the pillar portion has a cylindrical shape. 3. The method for forming a flat probe according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of quartz or optical glass. 4. The method for forming a flat probe according to claim 1, wherein the substrate and the pillar are made of the same material. 5. The method for forming a flat probe according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a composite structure of a probe material and a support material. 6. The method of forming a flat probe according to claim 1, wherein the filling material is a photoresist. 7. The method of forming a flat probe according to claim 1, wherein the embedding material is a liquid and is a material that becomes glass when fired. 8. The method for forming a flat probe according to claim 7, wherein the filling material has a lower refractive index than the pillar portion. 9. The method for forming a flat probe according to claim 6, wherein the embedding material is colored. 10. The pillar portion is formed by forming a pillar-shaped resist pattern of the pillar portion on the substrate and performing anisotropic etching using the pillar-shaped resist pattern as a mask. 10. The method for forming a flat probe according to any one of 9 to 10. 11. The pillar portion is formed by forming a pillar-shaped resist pattern of the pillar portion on the substrate, burying the pillar-shaped resist pattern as a sacrificial layer mask, and removing the sacrificial layer. Claims 1-9
The method for forming a flat probe according to any one of 1. 12. The flat probe according to claim 1, wherein a material that is not etched is provided on a tip portion of the column portion, and the material is removed after the probe is formed. Forming method. 13. A planar probe according to claim 1, wherein the planar probe has a plurality of rows of minute apertures and generates near-field light in the vicinity of the minute apertures. A planar probe, which is formed according to a forming method. 14. The flat probe according to claim 13, wherein an oblique light film or a light reflection film is formed on at least a slope of the probe.